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Month: May 2021

ETU-LETI student designs an autonomous boat to monitor environment

Posted on by Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University

Georgy Kolev, a second-year master’s student of Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University (ETU-LETI), has proposed using an autonomous bota as a solution to the problem of water body monitoring. The project of a second-year master’s student of the Faculty of Computer Science and Technology of ETU “LETI” won the UMNIK competition. The young researcher will implement it using a grant under the guidance of Denis Butusov, Director of the Youth Research Institute.

 

The boat is designed to monitor water areas within 50 km from the mobile base. It is 125 cm long, weighs 25 kg, and has navigation and computer vision systems and an electric engine with Li-ion batteries, complemented with a solar battery module if necessary. It can be used in hydrographic and rescue operations, ecological monitoring of natural and artificial water bodies. The payload of the boat is up to 15 kg.

The modular design of the boat makes it easy to adapt it for various tasks using additional
subsystems. Researchers have already successfully tested the prototype in Lake
Ladoga.

“The advantage of the boat is its relatively small size, allowing transportation by car, and low cost. We have conducted another round of field tests recently. At the moment, we develop a more advanced version of the boat, while the current one will be used for debugging navigation and computer vision systems. We also conducted hydrodynamic tests on the efficiency of propellers of different shapes, evaluating the propeller thrust direction and maximum rpm. The propellers were modeled in the CAD program and printed using a 3D printer,” says the developer of the boat.

The boat will be interesting for small fish-farming companies, which are currently monitoring water areas manually, using motorboats equipped with the necessary sensors,
which leads to additional pollution of water and financial costs.

EdUHK’s Dr Gary Cheng’s automated system for tracking student responses to teacher feedback

Posted on by eduhk

Students’ revision of their drafts is recognised as an important strategy to support the development of their writing skills. It involves a complex process of evaluating text, diagnosing problems and making revisions to improve the text.

An automated system for tracking student Responses to teacher feedback has been designed and implemented by Dr Gary Cheng Kwok-shing at the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology of The Education University of Hong Kong.

The system aims to classify types of teacher feedback and student revision in English as Foreign Language (EFL) writing, as well as to detect their interconnections in a systematic and automatic manner. This initiative would benefit both students and teachers in the feedback and revision process.

This system also aims to address the traditional approach of assessing the teacher feedback. The traditional approach encompasses human analysis of feedback and revision data which can be time-consuming and labour-intensive, limiting its practical use in a wide range of writing classes.

For students, the automated tracking system can generate immediate and individualised analysis on how well they make changes in response to teacher feedback. The analysis can promote student reflection on their revision strategies and encourage students to improve their subsequent writing. For teachers, the system can identify students who have problems in revising their text and are in need of early assistance.

Furthermore, the system can inform the characteristics of teacher feedback to which students often attend and react in EFL writing. This would increase teachers’ awareness of the effectiveness of their own feedback and serve as a basis for enhancing their feedback practice.

The system received a Silver Medal in the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival in USA in 2019. In the future, the system would be applied to more EFL writing courses at various levels and in different tertiary institutions so as to evaluate its impact on student writing. Further efforts would be made to develop new functionality that enables the system to provide students with personalised suggestions and links to relevant learning resources in order to further facilitate students making more effective revisions.

KNU promotes ‘Carbon Neutral Campus Creation Project’

Posted on by Kyungpook National University ‏‏‎ ‎

Kyungpook National University (KNU), in partnership with local governments and private companies, declared the creation of the “2040 Carbon Neutral Campus” for the first time among universities in the country to foster carbon neutrality and regional energy industry.

Kyungpook National University signed a business agreement with Daegu Metropolitan City, Hyundai Electric, and Taeyoung Engineering & Construction to jointly promote the “University Campus Carbon Neutral Space Creation Project” May 10 central conference room on the fifth floor of Kyungpook National University main building.

The agreement was designed to present a new model for realizing carbon neutrality to proactively respond to the government’s transition to a 2050 carbon-neutral society. Kyungpook National University plans to build the current campus as a carbon-neutral campus based on renewable energy by 2040.

‘Carbon Neutral Campus’ of Kyungpook National University is a pilot project to create an ecosystem for next-generation energy industries led by the private sector. Kyungpook National University, the organizer, supports the creation of a carbon-neutral R&D base, fostering human resources, and industrialization, while Daegu City is in charge of administrative support such as government policy cooperation and deregulation.

Hyundai Electric and Taeyoung Engineering & Construction, participating organizations, will invest 150 billion won to support the construction of zero energy buildings and the construction of campus microgrids. The project will be carried out with a total of 200 billion won (approx).

Through this project, Kyungpook National University said it will realize carbon neutrality by 2040 with greenhouse gases of 26,363 tons or more, a forecast for emissions, by building a low-carbon energy environment as expanding the supply of renewable energy, smart buildings, future mobility, and microgrid. In addition, the company plans to train more than 1,000 energy convergence, carbon-neutral experts.

The achievements of Kyungpook National University are expected to expand carbon neutrality to elementary, middle, and high schools in Daegu to realize the smart green city and smart industrial complex that Daegu City is aiming for in the future.

Won Hwa Hong, president of Kyungpook National University, said, “For this place where we live to be a good place for future generations, we need to put great value on ‘saving the earth’. To this end, Kyungpook National University will create the first carbon-neutral campus in Korea to make actual carbon dioxide emissions “zero” through concrete practices. However, there is definitely a limit to what a university can achieve.”

“Fortunately, Hyundai Electric and Taeyoung Engineering & Construction decided to actively invest and Daegu City will also generously support the policy. Kyungpook National University will play a leading role in making the transition to carbon-neutral, ” Won Hwa Hong concluded.

New chapter of ITS’ partnership with France

Posted on by ITS Global Engagement

Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) has recently renewed its partnership with France. ITS Rector, Professor Dr Ir. Mochamad Ashari M.Eng., welcomed the visit from French Embassy on Monday, April 26th, 2021.

The France delegation was represented by the Head of France Education and Cultural Cooperation, Mr Stephane Dovert. The highlight of this visit was the agreement on Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) about ITS participation in the French+Sciences Competition.

It is a short program held by Campus France Paris for students from partner
universities. ITS is one of six universities from Indonesia that has been selected to participate in this program.

Usually, there are about eight to ten ITS students and lecturers who are sent each year to France. However, this new chapter of the partnership between ITS and France will open more opportunities for ITS students and lecturers to study in France.

During the visit, both parties discussed several programs such as Indonesian International Students Mobility Awards (IISMA), scholarships, student exchange, fast-track, and double degree programs.

Prof. Ashari said that the partnership between ITS and France may also support and achieve the government’s Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka program.

SMU earns AACSB accreditation for its business and accountancy programmes

Posted on by corinnekang

SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) and School of Accountancy (SoA) have both earned reaccreditation from AACSB International (AACSB), the largest business education network and longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools.

SMU is one of seven universities in Asia that have earned the AACSB accreditation in both business and accounting. It was also one of the youngest schools globally to have achieved this dual accreditation.

Professor Gerard George, Dean of SMU LKCSB, said, “I am extremely proud that we have successfully achieved re-accreditation under AACSB’s new standards. LKCSB has been successful at achieving Top 50 global rankings for our thought leadership and our programmes. The re-accreditation demonstrates AACSB’s confidence in the excellent quality of our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, research impact, and our deep engagement with industry partners.”

“AACSB accreditation is synonymous with high international standards of quality and reaffirms the strong value proposition that we offer to all our students.”

Professor Cheng Qiang, Dean of the SMU SoA, said, “Maintaining the AACSB International accreditation since 2011 is a testament to our university’s and school’s commitment to delivering innovative, engaging and impactful programmes. I am proud to share that the review team was impressed with the integration of data analytics and technologies in our Bachelor of Accountancy (BAcc) and masters programmes to prepare students for the digital future, as well as our strong internship and employment outcomes.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our faculty and staff for their dedication to the School and for ensuring that SMU is offering accounting education at the highest level of quality.”

Including SMU, there are over 890 business schools in 58 countries and territories that have earned AACSB Accreditation in business and 189 institutions that hold a supplemental, specialised AACSB Accreditation for their accounting programmes.

IBAT College Dublin expands curriculum, introduces Financial Trading courses

Posted on by Global University Systems

IBAT College Dublin, Ireland’s leading enterprise-focused third level institution, has announced a partnership with the London Academy of Trading (LAT) to offer short financial trading courses to its Irish audience.

Courses being offered include Introduction to Financial Markets and Trading, Trading Skills, Advanced Trading and a new Cryptocurrency Trading course. The courses will provide extensive practical sessions while aiming to impart the essential skills required for trading real-time financial markets successfully.

Established in 2010, LAT is an award-winning institution that provides dedicated education on finance and trading-related subjects. The academy is accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and its short courses are certified by Continuing
Professional Development (CPD).

As one of the largest providers of short diploma courses in business, management and IT, IBAT College Dublin seeks to proactively respond to the demand for upskilling and retraining within the Irish workforce. All of the courses seek to provide an industry-relevant, up-to-date syllabus reflecting the rapidly changing economy and teaching students the skills required for career success.

Commenting on the partnership, Joe Gorey, Principal at IBAT College Dublin says: “COVID-19 has redefined how individuals think about investing and we’ve witnessed a significant surge in the number of people joining the stock market at unprecedented rates – there is an increased risk appetite.

Through our partnership with LAT, we aim to leverage the growing interest and demand for financial trading by extending our portfolio of short, professional courses to working professionals who want to upgrade their skills for personal or professional use.

We have a team of experienced traders who provide students with essential tips while boosting their knowledge of the financial markets. We also offer a range of flexible study methods including teaching students how to trade online via live interactive classes, daily webinars and expert mentor support while using real-time trading platforms.”

Paddy Osborn, Managing Director and Academic Dean for London Academy of Trading added: “Demand for trading courses has never been greater, so we’re thrilled to be working with a prestigious institution such as IBAT to bring financial markets knowledge and trading skills to a wider audience. Many individuals dive into trading without really understanding the processes or risks involved, so our aim is to teach people how to interpret fundamental and technical analysis, as well as showing them how to control their emotions and manage risks when trading.”

Established in 2004, IBAT College Dublin offers undergraduate, postgraduate, English language courses and professional education within a state-of-the-art learning environment across a range of subject areas including business, accounting, ICT and management.

Correcting motion blur in single-photon images

Posted on by Tokyo University of Science

At Tokyo University of Science, Japan, Professor Takayuki Hamamoto has been leading a research team focused on taking the capabilities of single-photon imaging further. In the latest study by Professor Hamamoto and his team, which was published in IEEE Access, they developed a highly effective algorithm to fix the blurring caused by motion in the imaged objects, as well as the common blurring of the entire image such as that caused by the shaking of the camera.

Their approach addresses many limitations of existing deblurring techniques for single-photon imaging, which produce low-quality pictures when multiple objects in the scene
are moving at different speeds and dynamically overlapping each other.

Instead of adjusting the entire image according to the estimated motion of a single object or on the basis of spatial regions where the object is considered to be moving, the proposed method employs a more versatile strategy.

First, a motion estimation algorithm tracks the movement of individual pixels through statistical evaluations on how bit values change over time (over different bit planes). In this way, as demonstrated experimentally by the researchers, the motion of individual objects can be accurately estimated.

“Our tests show that the proposed motion estimation technique produced results with errors of less than one pixel, even in dark conditions with few incident photons,” remarks Prof. Hamamoto.

The team then developed a deblurring algorithm that uses the results of the motion estimation step. This second algorithm groups pixels with a similar motion together, thereby identifying in each bit plane separate objects moving at different speeds.

This allows for deblurring each region of the image independently according to the motions of objects that pass through it. Using simulations, the researchers showed that their strategy produced very crisp and high-quality images, even in low-light dynamic scenes crowded with objects coursing at disparate velocities.

Overall, the results of this study aptly showcase how greatly single-photon imaging can be improved if one gets down to developing effective image processing techniques.

“Methods for obtaining crisp images in photon-limited situations would be useful in several fields, including medicine, security, and science. Our approach will hopefully lead to new technology for high-quality imaging in dark environments, like outer space, and super-slow recording that will far exceed the capabilities of today’s fastest cameras,” says Prof. Hamamoto. He also states that even consumer-level cameras might timely benefit from progress in single-photon imaging.

UiTM and Verdastro collaborate for production of bio-resin from oil palm trunk dust

Posted on by Dr Azianty Saroni

On 9th December 2020, Micro Manufacturing Hub (MMH) Universiti Teknologi MARA, (UiTM) Pahang, Jengka Campus, Malaysia signed an agreement with Verdastro Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s pioneer in the commercialization of bio-plastic company.

Verdastro manufacturing, a factory at Gebeng Industrial Estate, Pahang is famous for bio-resin or green resin production from the extraction of oil palm trunk (OPT). The crucial objective of this collaboration is to make UiTM Pahang the main production hub of OPT dust.

As Malaysia is a pioneer in the oil palm plantation, it’s a great initiative and opportunity to produce bio-resin from OPT dust. Bio-resin is a resin that derives some or all of its constituent monomers from biological sources and the current famous sources are plant-based such as oil palm, corn and soybean.

Bio-resin is considered a biodegradable material that is easy to be disposed of quickly within three days. Generally, oil palm plantation yield gradually decreases and requires a re-plantation after 25 years and above. The mature palm tree hence can be useful as a source of OPT dust and beneficial to further produce the bio-resin.

This collaboration is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Non-biodegradable plastic has become a global crisis that may stay in the land for hundreds of years and contribute to health problems in humans and animals. Therefore, it’s important to provide environmentally friendly material known as bio-resin to disrupt the current plastic-based industry.

From this joint venture agreement, Woodtech, Faculty of Applied Science, UiTM Pahang may supply the space, basic facilities, the equipment that capable to transform the oil palm trunk to dust and more importantly as a source of manpower. This is a good opportunity for the internship and fresh graduate students from Woodtech to gain experience prior to the real-life work exposure.

Verdastro Sdn Bhd may provide a yearly operating budget of approximately RM 50,000 and pay a salary to the head of the laboratory which is the lecturer of Woodtech itself, Ahmad Fauzi bin Awang. It is firmly believed that this collaboration can impact the community at large and UiTM in particular.

EEC–HDC promotes Thammasat Pattaya Medical Hub to be the ASEAN’s Medical Hub

Posted on by Thammasat University

Thammasat Pattaya Medical Hub will develop medical advancement and public health care system in Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital, local hospitals or health centres in Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC area) and is expected to be a Digital Healthcare Solution provider.

Mr Apichart Thongyu, President of the Eastern Economic Corridor-Human Development Centre (EEC-HDC) says, “The area will be a crucial Sandbox that brings advancement to EEC.”

EEC-HDC supervises the development of education and personnel production to support investment in 12 target industrial groups. Medical Hub is one of the five new industries or New S-curve.

“The goal of Thammasat University Hospital, Pattaya centre, is to be a Smart Hospital that creates seamless service for everyone and everywhere. EEC will be an important agent supporting this medical system and making it to be a new advancement of the country. EEC will push it to be a new medical and public health centre of ASEAN. Today, Thailand is seen as a good public health system by the world due to the control of COVID-19 pandemic which is the credit of public health and medicine sector’s work.”, said Mr Apichart.

Mr Apichart also talks about the educational development in the EEC area, “EEC-HDC will collaborate with all sectors to create a “Demand-Driven” education system. The new education system will focus on the labour demand of the industrial sector instead of the old system.”

“The original education system focuses on the supply side, including institutions and professors, which is not supportive for the country’s advancement. It is guaranteed that people who study in this new education system will not be unemployed.”

In terms of the plan to improve education and personnel skills, an industrial economy forum called EEC Industrial Forum (EIF) will be established. The forum is a conglomeration between industrial sectors and educational institutions to set up education foundations and produce personnel to suit the real world’s demand.

Currently, there are 8 private and public universities in the EEC area and 18 partner universities outside the area, including 12 public vocational colleges and 6 private vocational colleges. There are also approximately 40 partner colleges outside the area working together.

“In fiscal 2021 year, we strive to develop 150,000 personnel, based on the EEC Model for 40,612 people, overall personnel development for 6,504 people, and basic personnel development for 103,939 people. The overall budget will be around 800 million baht. The EEC Model Type A will be 100% funded by the private sectors. It will be the development of personnel in higher education and vocational institutions. In 2021, the goal is to bring about development in 2,000 people or in total 10,000 people starting from 2019 until the end of 2021,” he added.

“EEC Model Type B will be a short courses training to re-skill, up-skill and implement new skills. The government will fund the project not more than 50% and the private sector will support the rest of the expenses in order to reach the industry’s demands.”

“Currently, companies and education institutions have collaborated and created 89 certified short courses, including 54 robotic courses, 25 future vehicle courses, 4 aviation courses, 3 logistics courses and 3 electronic courses. This will help reduce the company’s expenses and create a job for learners. According to the condition, the firms have to accept students to work in a company for 1 year,” he explained.

The new educational system in the EEC area for the future industrial investment transforms traditional education into lifelong education. It allows students to connect with the real working world and skill development.

“Newly graduated students will acquire the right expertise that meets the demand of the field. It also creates continual collaboration with the industrial sector which leads to “sustainable development”. More importantly, it also leads to a big personnel and resource development of the country to keep up with the technology and changes in this new era,” Mr Apichart concluded.

EdUHK wins 7 awards at 2021 Geneva’s Inventions Expo

Posted on by eduhk

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has received two Gold Medals and five Silver Medals in the first-ever virtual edition of Geneva’s Inventions Expo held in March 2021, setting the best record since participating in the competition.

The inventions covered a wide range of areas: mindfulness, education technology, language learning, drug rehabilitation, environmental education and sustainable construction technology.

One of the gold medal-winning innovation is Portable Interactive Meditation Mirror, a novel mediation platform that helps users comfort their heart and care for their inner self by using a special mirror containing a digital camera combined with interactive and AI features. Users can develop their abilities to learn the power of self-healing and ways to concentrate and embrace their positive and negative emotions. The principal investigator for this research was Dr Hung Keung, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural and Creative Arts.

Online Assessment System for Individual Scores (OASIS), a new online system for assessing and scoring individual contributions in group projects, which aims to improve team-based learning and discourage free-riding before project commencement won the gold medal. Professor Woo Chi-keung, Department of Asian and Policy Studies is the principal investigator while the co-investigators are Dr Henry So Chi-fuk, Lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Information Technology; external partners Dr Alice Shiu and Dr Liu Yun.

Another innovation by EdUHK, CanPro which is a language mobile app that helps non-native Cantonese learners practise their pronunciation skills and learn commonly used colloquial Cantonese expressions bagged the silver medal. The principal investigator for this project is Dr Andy Chin Chi-on, Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies, and the co-investigator is external partner, Mr Nicky Ng Chun-yick.

Drug-Related Attentional Bias in Drug Abusers and Rehabilitated Drug Abusers, A system which integrates eye-tracking technology and assessments to measure implicit attentional bias in rehabilitated/rehabilitating drug abusers won the silver medal. Different from the traditional paper-based evaluation, this is the first project in Hong Kong using computerised implicit psychological tasks to assess drug abuse and abuse rehabilitation progress. Principal investigator is Professor Leung Chi-hung, Department of Special Education and Counselling, and co-investigators: Mr Jacky Chao Chac-kei, Senior Research Assistant, Integrated Centre for Wellbeing of EdUHK; external partner Mr Chan Hiu-fai.

An innovative indoor air quality (IAQ) educational kit which contains a portable sensor that can simultaneously detect and monitor three major IAQ indicators in classrooms and houses, namely formaldehyde (HCHO), PM2.5 and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) bagged silver medal, too. This invention which is also designed to develop the students’ STEM knowledge and develop critical thinking skills.The principal investigator is Dr Deng Wenjing, Assistant Professor, Department of Science and Environmental Studies.

Tree Assessment for Life Education (TALE) Project won the silver medal. It is an educational tool developed to nurture citizens’ botanical knowledge, raise environmental awareness of urban forests and tree preservation, and cultivate users’ appreciation of life and other species. It gives an environmental perspective of life education through gathering geo-referenced data.  The principal investigator is Professor Jim Chi-yung, Research Chair Professor of Geography & Environmental Science; Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Vice President (Academic) and Provost, and co-investigators are Dr Alice Chow Sin-yin, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences; EdUHK TALE project team.

EdUHK’s Innovative technology for utilisation of waste residues as resources in producing sustainable construction materials won the silver medal. This production technology successfully uses waste sludge and combustion by-products to replace aggregate, sand and cement as sustainable resources in making eco-concrete paving blocks to fulfil relevant engineering and environmental standards. The principal investigator is Dr Chris Tsang Yiu-fai, Associate Professor, Department of Science and Environmental Studies, and co-investigator is Mr Cheng Wai-nam, Senior Research Assistant, Department of Science and Environmental Studies.